[Music]
Hello and happy Monday everyone. I'm
Allison Chinchar in for Koi Wire. I hope
you had an awesome Halloween weekend. My
husband and I are both meteorologists so
our costumes we went with a weather
theme this year. I was April showers and
he was May flowers. Get it? We would
love to see some of your costumes, too.
Tag us at CNN10 on Instagram. We've got
a ton of news to get to today and not a
lot of time to do it. So, let's go. We
begin with an update on the ongoing
federal government shutdown and its
impact on a crucial program that helps
feeds millions of Americans. November
SNAP benefit payments, also known as
food stamps, have been delayed by the
ongoing shutdown. The program provides
government funding to nearly 1 in eight
Americans to help them afford groceries.
The delay has left many of them unsure
if they will be able to feed their
families if the money is not restored.
>> I'm very concerned. I don't know what
I'm going to do.
>> I'm at every food bank I can find to
keep my kitchen full for my children.
>> It would be a matter of do we eat or do
we pay rent?
And right now the way things are going
it looks like you know what it's just
pay rent.
>> Now according to the USDA data 12% of
the US population nearly 42 million
people rely on the program. Nearly 3/4
of the households that rely on the
benefits fall below the federal poverty
level and many of the recipients are
children or elderly individuals. Two
federal judges have ordered the Trump
administration to use emergency funds to
provide at least partial benefits, but
it remains unclear when and how that
could happen. The uncertainty has left
many recipients turning to food pantries
and other community food assistance
programs, but those groups have also
been under pressure from rising food
prices and increased need in recent
years. So we have seen a a a significant
jump in need just in the last week here
in particular. Uh and this is on top of
already sort of historic need that we
were responding to.
>> Multiple state governments have said
they will pour millions of dollars into
their emergency food programs in the
meantime, but it will be far less than
the typical federal funding in most
cases. Turning now to Jamaica, where
communities are just now able to return
home after last week's direct hit from
Hurricane Melissa. The category 5 storm
left a trail of devastation as it tore
across the island, completely leveling
some communities. Our David Culver is on
the ground and got a firstirhand look at
the recovery efforts underway. Now,
where we're headed is towards Black
River, and that's an area that you've
seen a lot of the devastation of of some
of the homes that have just been totally
decimated. And the folks who are on this
path headed the direction that we're
going and we can walk just a little bit
here to keep traffic going are folks who
are many of them going back to their
homes for the first time or what's left
of their homes. You've got others who
are bringing supplies with them and
others who are bringing communication
devices to try to see if they can get to
individuals who they've not been able to
be in touch with so far. Now, here we
are several days out after the storm and
you you're at a point where the
adrenaline has started to wear down. the
shock has started to subside and reality
is starting to sink in. We were talking
to some of our local team here too and
as we were just sitting here he looked
up and he said it's not just the homes
that were destroyed but also the beauty
of my country and he said you should see
what this was before and this was a
beautiful canopy bamboo avenue and you
can look now and the bamboo is just
shredded. I mean all of it just torn
apart and he said that's another thing
that they're thinking about in mourning
even. Well, this is the issue. I mean,
everyone you speak with will have a
story of someone they have yet to be in
contact with. And and that tells you
there are so many areas that are like
this corridor. I mean, just so difficult
to get through and cut off at this
point. So, they're starting to mobilize
quickly. We're starting to see a lot of
those efforts come internationally as
well. The military here is certainly
playing a role in that, but as of now,
the latest death toll that we've seen is
is at 19. It's expected to rise. Uh, but
again, it's it's trying to get to these
areas that are next to impossible to go
through. I saw an ambulance trying to go
through here just a few minutes ago, and
it was just going as slow as we were. I
mean, it's it's a huge challenge.
>> A quick meteorological note. In the wake
of Hurricane Melissa, the season is not
over yet. We still have 29 more days to
get through. Atlantic hurricane season
typically sees an average of 14 named
storms. As of now, we are at 13.
Time for 10-second trivia. During the
Dia de los Muertos holiday, what do
merold flowers represent? The fragility
of life, wealth and good fortune, the
sun, or friendship?
If you said the sun, you're on fire.
Marolds or simpuch are placed on altars
or around grave sites to represent the
sun and the path that guides spirits
back to their loved ones. If you've seen
the Pixar movie Coco, you may be
familiar with Dia de los Muertos or Day
of the Dead, which took place this past
Saturday and Sunday. It is a Mexican
holiday that celebrates and honors the
lives of loved ones and pets who have
passed away. But instead of being sad or
a scary occasion, it's a joyful
celebration that welcomes the spirits of
the dead back into the world of the
living for a short period of time. A
California artist named Oilia Esparsa
played a huge role in making Dia de los
Muertos popular in the US. And for the
first time, her work is being featured
in a solo show at a Los Angeles museum.
Check this out.
>> I'm a first generation here. My mother
came from Mexico. This was a practice my
mother had at home. She had it all year
long, but for the special days like the
other loto, she would dress it up with
flowers from her garden with a candle.
The altar is the centerpiece if people
have a photograph. If not, also a a
token or a momento of that person's
life. The merry gold flower. It reflects
the sun of course, but also its aroma
beckons the the soul to that here we are
ready waiting for you with our frienda.
when I started doing public altars was
first at self-help graphics the art
center in East Los Angeles but it wasn't
really widespread known and it has grown
over the years I just have continued it
for so many years since I first started
in around 1979
this is the first forelia and for us it
was important to highlight all aspects
of her career in the gallery we see what
almost seven decades of art making,
right? Drawings, paintings, print making
in addition to seven altars or ofendas
that we've recreated in the exhibition.
>> It is such a tremendous honor,
especially in my own community. We feel
very strongly that Aelia and her work
has fundamentally transformed the story
of American art and culture through her
work as an alter maker as well as a
visual artist and a teacher.
>> Especially this year, the offenda is
really a significant endeavor because
our community is hurting, but it has
come together in a way that is
empowering.
If you've ever wanted to walk the same
path as some of history's most powerful
emperors, you'll soon have the chance. A
2,000-year-old tunnel below Rome's famed
colosum is set to open to the public
this month. The subterranean path called
the passage of Comedus was used by
emperors to enter and exit the coliseum
unseen by the public. That includes its
namesake, Comedus, who was famously
portrayed by Waqen Phoenix in Ridley
Scott's Gladiator. Some historians even
believe the tunnel is the site of a
failed assassination attempt against the
emperor. The restoration was done using
the same methods and materials the
Romans originally used. Talk about a
colossal undertaking. If this sounds up
your alley, you'd better book your trip
soon. Only 24 people per day will be
permitted to explore it.
[Applause]
Today's story getting a 10 out of 10. A
monkey on the loose. And could it be
more fitting that it happened in a
spirit Halloween store? Take a look.
>> On the call, there's a monkey running
around. There he is right there.
>> Not a costume or a prank. Police in
Plano, Texas were called to the costume
store this week to find, as body camera
footage shows, a spider monkey swinging
from the rafters, literally, and just
generally running loose throughout the
store. Plot twist, turns out it was
someone's pet who got spooked by the
decorations. Animal control was already
on the way when they finally were able
to entice the monkey with a cookie to,
well, stop monkeying around. Is that Is
that your monkey?
>> You got a leash for it?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, let's put it on.
>> Neither monkey nor officer nor
trick-or-treater was hurt in the making
of this story. All right, superstars.
That's all the time we have for today,
but let's get you some shoutouts. This
first one is going to Mrs. Levit from
Chester Academy in Chester, New
Hampshire. Thank you for being such a
loyal viewer of the show. And this next
shout out goes to Miss Rakers at Bonito
Wararez Community Academy in Chicago,
Illinois. Thank you so much for the
Calaveras, the sugar skulls that many
people decorate for Dia de los Muertos.
Very cool. Now, Koi will be back
tomorrow, so we will see you then.
Thanks for having me. I'm Allison
Chinchar and we are CNN 10.